Reviews

Presence

Verdict: Fans hoping for scares may feel disappointed with Presence because it's more of a family drama with a supernatural angle.

  • Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan
  • January 24th 2025
  • 85
  • Steven Soderbergh

A family of four, led by Lucy Liu, are haunted by a spirit when they move into their new home after a tragedy.

We have seen so many ghost stories on screen over the years that you wouldn’t expect filmmakers nowadays to find a new way in. Enter Steven Soderbergh, who brings us a new take on the bogeyman tale.

This experimental supernatural thriller follows a family – Rebecca (Lucy Liu), Chris (Chris Sullivan), Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday) – after they move into a new suburban home.

You may expect this to focus on Liu, given her star status, but the story actually centres upon Chloe, who is grieving the loss of her best friend Nadia.

She senses a presence in the house first and becomes convinced that Nadia is watching over her.

The identity of the spirit remains a mystery throughout the film and this leaves you wondering if it is indeed Nadia. And if it’s not, who is it and what do they want with Chloe?

What makes this film unusual is the perspective – it is told through the eyes of the presence.

It is already in the house when the family moves in and it follows them around, getting a front row seat to their drama (and there is plenty of that), before becoming increasingly more involved.

We’ve all seen characters stare off into the void thinking there is something there, so it was exciting seeing those moments flipped around to the ghost’s perspective so the actors are looking almost directly at us!

That being said, Soderbergh’s camera moves (he operated the camera himself) can be disorientating at times because it moves quickly and zips in and out of rooms.

Although these fast movements can be a lot to take in, it does make the film feel more immersive, like you’re in the house with them.

Unfortunately, there are some downsides. The dialogue is patchy, the character of Ryan (West Mulholland) is poorly written and acted, and the big finale is over and done with so quickly that it feels anti-climactic after so much build-up.

Laing is a sweet lead who you want to care for and Sullivan is the kind husband trying to keep the family together.

Liu plays a businesswoman caught up in some dodgy activity that is never resolved or even directly addressed. She is not given enough to do, same as Julia Fox, who has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance at the beginning.

Fans hoping for scares may feel disappointed with Presence because it’s more of a family drama with a supernatural angle.

In cinemas from Friday 24th January

By Hannah Wales.

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